The Countdown
by Otpeeing
Summary: A Quintis story with a small twist.
1. 7 days before

_7 days before_

 **TOBY**

"How can you say that men and woman can never truly be equal? I'm much better than you at lots of typically seen 'male activates` …mechanics, sports, cars… Shall I continue?" argued Happy while Toby rolled his eyes. She always seemed to have a reason to fight with him for the past few days, even the simplest things he said she would always try and dispute. "I wasn't saying that at all, you are totally twisting my words. Why are you so determined to start fights with me all the time?" asked Toby attempting to calm Happy and the situation. "Oh don't overthink this doc, just accept the fact that I am always right." Replied Happy with a small smirk on her face. "You know some people might say that your sudden anger and passion to fight could be fuelled by some other type of emotions, maybe some positive or loving emotions…?" said Toby knowing he was pushing it by mentioning emotions to an already angered Happy. He walked over to her, they were in her garage and she was sorting out some of her tools with a fixed concentrated expression. She hadn't replied but Toby was sure he heard her blow out a sigh of frustration. He took a risk and put his arms around her from the back and gave her a big bear hug.

 **HAPPY**

She just stood there like a branch getting bear hugged from a koala. For a second the thought crossed her mind to take her arms up to his and hug him back, but that second quickly pasted and was replaced with a feeling of vulnerability and slight anger. Toby held the hug for a good few seconds before realising that Happy wasn't going to return it. But she couldn't deny the feeling of sadness when he lifted his arms off her, she knew if she had hugged him back or just simply asked him to keep hugging her he happily would, but she could never convey such emotions easily. So she communicated the only way she knew how. "You have woman hands." Toby faked a hurt expression and replied "How dare you, I just got them freshly manicured yesterday." jokingly while blowing on his nails as if he were drying them. "Does this make me more lady-like than you?" asked Toby while laughing. "Well considering the fact that your favourite pass time is talking about people's feelings and your most prised possession is a hat, I'd say yea pretty much." answered Happy. Toby laughed and said "Does this mean we get to have sleepovers together and play naked pillow fight." Happy could tell by the look on his face that he knew what was coming. "Ouch! A simple no would have sufficed." Remarked Toby while he grabbed his freshly punched upper arm. He squeezed Happys side at the exact place he knew she was most ticklish and then walked back over to his desk to continue reading his books. Happy continued her work but now with a shining smile on her face.


	2. 6 days before

_6 days before_

 **HAPPY**

"HAPPY OPPOSITE DAY, SAD!" shouted Toby at Happy as he walked into her garage with a box of donuts. "Ehm Sad?" questioned Happy with one eyebrow raised. "Yes, you're Sad. Unfortunately my name isn't an adjective so you can just call me ybot or iBot… I like that, it makes me sound like some sort of sidekick robot in Star wars." Said Toby with a massive grin on his face. Happy always wondered how someone who had been the victim to so much negativity in life could be so positive the whole time. "I didn't know there was an official opposite day. I always assumed it was just a stupid thing only _kids_ took part in." Said happy with a smirk on her face. "Always so pessimistic Sad. Would a donut help? I got you one that reminded me of you, glazed donut with a vanilla centre, you know, like all glazed and cold on the outside but once you get to the inside there's a nice, sweet, creamy vanilla centre, but if you have to much of it, it'll give you heart problems…. Literally." Said Toby obviously pleased with his little analogy. Happy felt the corners of her mouth turning up but she quickly composed herself and, with an _almost_ straight face, replied "Oh I'd definitely give you more than heart problems."

 **TOBY (iBot)**

"I would happily have heart problems if it meant I could have a permanent glazed vanilla donut in my life" He said as he took a big bite into one of the donuts. He loved his little back and forth banters with Happy, even though she almost always kept a straight face Toby knew that Happy enjoyed them too. He found it was the easiest way to communicate with her, she always seem at ease when she was lightly insulting people, or when she was talking about mechanics but Toby knew talking about mechanics was not a good idea because all the technical tools sounded like a second language to him.

"Hey iBot can you pass me that ring spanner over there?" asked Happy. Toby only knew what a ring spanner was from listening to Happy talk about them with Ralph. He handed it over to Happy and had an idea. "Hey Happy, could you hold this for a second?" Toby had nothing in his hand but waited till Happy held her hand out in a cupped shape while not taking her eyes off her work. Toby put his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers till he was standing there holding Happy Quinn's hand in the middle of her garage. He knew the moment wouldn't last long but it was worth it. "What do you think you're doing?" asked Happy suspiciously. "Just trying to get closer to your vanilla core." Toby replied braising himself for Happy to punch him. But this time she didn't. She just twisted and held his arm against his back. "Wow, if you give me anymore vanilla I might turn diabetic." Said Toby sarcastically as Happy released his arm. "I hate you sometimes doc." She replied half serious. "Awe I love you too Sad, Happy Opposite day!" shouted Toby as he walked out of her garage.


	3. 5 days before

_5 days before_

 **HAPPY**

"Should I grab you another beer?" asked Toby walking over to the fridge, Happy just gave her head a quick nod and continued looking at her cards. She had a bet going with Toby that she could win one game against him, so far he'd picked up on all the little bluff body language markers. But what he didn't know was that Happy also knew how to portray certain misleading body language signs. Toby thought she was bluffing and had a bum hand but she actually had a flush. Once Toby sat back down with the two beers in hand and gave Happy hers, they showed their cards. "How did I miss that? Did you cheat?" asked Toby suspiciously. "You have literally only been two metres from the table and had your back turned for thirty seconds." Replied Happy. "I know what you're capable of!" said Toby with a slight tone of flirtation. Happy knew she and Toby weren't exactly drunk but they both had a bit of an alcohol haze. "I guess you're not as amazing as you thought you were, doc." Remarked Happy after taking a drink of her beer. "Oh I don't think I'm amazing, I know I'm amazing, so rematch." Stated Toby matter-of-factly. "But this time with a real bet, if you win you can take my hat and change anything you like about it" "Wow that's practically your life on the line." Interrupted Happy. "Buuuuuut if I win you have to go out on a date with me."

 **TOBY**

He knew as the words left his mouth he was bound to get a typical 'are you serious' look from Happy but surprisingly she just looked at him for a few seconds and said "okay, you're on."

After a long round of poker with Toby's precious hat on the line, it was finally time for them to reveal their hands. Happy proudly put down a four of a kind which in many cases would have clearly won, but Happy's victory moment was short lived because just after she revealed hers, Toby put down a straight flush, one of the only 2 things that beat four of a kind. "So where are we going to go for our date?" said Toby through a massive smile. He looked at Happy and tried to read her facial expressions to get her reaction, he was expecting something like annoyance or anger, but her face was surprisingly completely neutral. She just half smiled at him and got up to get her jacket.

 **HAPPY**

"Just pick me up tomorrow at 8 o'clock." She could tell already by the look on Toby's face that he was overexcited or possibly high. "But don't start planning a wedding or thinking up kids names, you dumbass." Remarked Happy as she made her way back to the table. "Awe but I already have such amazing ideas… since you're Happy, an adjective, and I'm Toby, why don't we mix the two and make a noun? Like our first sons name, Hobby." Said Toby jokingly. Happy just looked at him and laughed before squeezing his arm and saying "Goodnight you crazy shrink."


	4. 4 days before

_4 days before_

 **TOBY**

Toby sat on his sofa watching TV, trying to distract himself from his nervousness about this evening. He'd never felt so much pressure for a simple date before, he knew that the main reason for that was because Happy meant the world to him, he couldn't imagine his life without her and whenever he did he became automatically depressed. Not only that but he knew their friendship was on the line too, if he screwed up not only would it affect their relationship but their friendship and the team too. Toby could never let that happen. After watching some TV he went to his bedroom to pick out clothes, even though it was only 6 o'clock and he still had two hours until the date, he wanted to get everything perfect, which meant the clothes too. After a while of rummaging through his wardrobe he'd finally picked out and put on his clothes, and of course he planned the whole outfit around his beautiful hat. But he still had an hour and a half to kill so Toby decided he had to distract himself as best he could and the only way to do that was reading his two favourite books, just as he sat down he heard his phone buzz and looked at the screen to see that Happy had messaged him. "Forgot some stuff at the garage, pick me up there instead?" Toby looked at it and smiled, he physically couldn't believe he was going on a date with Happy Quinn. He texted her back "Great, I'll see you there."

 **HAPPY**

"Okay so we've got one hour and a half and Toby's going to pick me up here instead." Said Happy to Paige. "Okay, good now we can you all ready for your big date" replied Paige with a cheeky smile on her face. Happy didn't want to lie to Toby but she wanted Paige's help and that meant getting ready at the garage because Ralph was there with Walter.

"Just a bit more blusher and you're good to go." Said Paige handing Happy a soft coral blush. Paige could see that Happy wasn't her typical hard-as-nails, pokerfaced self. "You really like him don't you." Happy automatically rolled her eyes, it was a habit. "It's just a date we don't know where it's going." She stated quite calmly. "Okay… I'm just glad this is finally happening, it's torture seeing you two flirt and laugh but keep the whole 'We're just friends' thing going." Said Paige as she put away some of her lipstick. Happy couldn't think of a reply, she knew her and Toby always had something but she didn't think other people had picked up on it. In all honesty she knew she was happy this was finally happening, she loved being with Toby and couldn't think of a better person to have by her side. She heard the sound of a car pulling up so she quickly had a last check in the mirror to see if everything was okay. She was wearing a little black dress that complimented her petite figure with a pair of black heels and her hair waving down in soft curls. Once she heard Toby come in she went downstairs.

She'd never had anyone look at her like that, Toby looked at her completely speechless with a look of utter bewilderment. "y-you look… so… j-just wow." Toby somehow managed to get the words out. Happy just smiled at him as he put his arm around her back and started walking to the door. Then Cabe came in. "Okay everyone clear your schedules, we've got a new case." "But we kind of have to leave right now" said Toby obviously frustrated. "Well why don't you explain that to the president." Retorted Cabe. Toby just gave Happy a sad smile which Happy returned promptly before they sat down to hear about their new case.


	5. 3 days before

_3 days before_

 **HAPPY**

Happy had just arrived at the garage, Walter and Sylvester were staring at long complicated math equations talking amongst themselves, Paige and Ralph were in the kitchen preparing Ralph's lunch but all she could focus on was the empty desk at the other end of the room. Toby wasn't exactly always on time but it was already 12 o'clock and he wasn't there. "Hey Walter, have you seen the shrink anywhere?" asked Happy nonchalantly. "I think he was here earlier but I haven't seen him since." Said Walter hardly taking his eyes off the blackboard. Happy kept a straight face but as she turned her head she let her guard down and let her face lie in a sort of saddened frown, but she forgot Paige was opposite her, lucky she didn't say anything but she did give Happy a little smirk. Happy made her way to her garage to find the project she was working on, that she'd left lying on her table the day before to be gone. Instead there was little nuts and bolts lined up one after another leading out of her workplace towards the garage where she kept her motorcycle.

 _What the hell?_ Thought Happy to herself as she followed the line of small metal objects. She came to the garage to find a table lit by dimmed lights in the place where her motorcycle used to be.

 **TOBY**

Toby plated the food and quickly washed his hands as he heard someone walking into the garage. "And finally she arrives." Exclaimed Toby as he led Happy to her seat and got her chair for her. "What is this?" asked Happy not knowing how to react. "Well yesterday we weren't able to leave so I thought I'd bring the dinner to us." Replied Toby obviously proud of his make-shift date. "Are you 100% this is a good idea?" asked Happy with a look of uncertainty on her face. "Hey where is this coming from?" asked Toby quite confused about the whole situation. "It's just... I mean, I was thinking about it and there's just so much on the line-""Okay I'm just going to stop you right there. You know we work well together and even if things don't work out the way we want them too, you know I will always look out for you and be there for you. Happy, I'm not going to pick up and leave. I'm here for the long run. I'm staying." Said Toby wearing his heart on his sleeve. Happy didn't know what to say so she just smiled and looked down at her plate "So what did you cook doc?" Toby winked at Happy, got up and grabbed the plates of food. "Really? Almost completely cold takeout pizza on a plate." Asked Happy half laughing. "Well I didn't exactly have time to learn culinary skills while studying at Harvard." Replied Toby. "Yeah, I can tell." Said happy laughing. Toby raised his beer to Happy and she raised hers too. "To an amazing first date."


	6. 2 days before

_2 days before_

 **HAPPY**

Happy was unusually optimistic today. The date went well last night and she started to think that the whole relationship thing might actually work out, of course she had her doubts (Happy always kept a decent amount of doubt in her life) but she thought that after last night she might be able to let go of her fear of trusting people. She made Toby promise her to take things slow, she wanted this to work and if they rushed in too fast Happy knew, one way or another, one of them would screw it up.

"Someone's looking happy today." Remarked Paige as she walked into the kitchen where Happy was making herself a sandwich. "Are you referring to the emotion or are you saying I look like myself?" replied Happy sarcastically. "Oh ha-ha… soooo I saw that there was an empty dining table in the garage this morning and I couldn't help but notice that you and Toby were missing most of yesterday." Said Paige obviously trying to get information from Happy, but Happy wasn't ready to start giving out information on her private life. "I don't know what that crazy shrink does with his spare time." Replied Happy trying her best to keep a nonchalant expression on her face. Paige swiftly dropped the subject when she realized that Happy wasn't going to open up to her. Happy took her sandwich and returned to her garage to finish her project.

 **TOBY**

Toby was usually the last person to arrive to work in the morning, and today wasn't an exception. He barely had any sleep the night before, his brain was going at 500 mph with thoughts of Happy and their future. He had promised Happy to take things slow but if it were up to him he would probably be planning their wedding right now.

After he got in and dumped his stuff on his desk he looked around to see if he could see Happy anywhere, when he didn't see her straight away he went to her garage to find her working on the project from a few days ago. She was standing with her back to him, so he put his hands over her eyes and said "Guess who?" "We may have went on one date so far but I will still happily punch you if you get too annoying." Replied Happy. "That's my girl." Said Toby with a wide smile on his face. "What are you doing here?" asked Happy with a straight face. "Is that anyway to talk to a soon-to-be birthday boy?" asked Toby with a fake hurt expression on his face.

 **HAPPY**

Happy knew it was his birthday, but she didn't want to say too much because she and the rest of the team had a surprise party planned for tomorrow afternoon. "Well tomorrow you can act like a little birthday princess but today your Toby the mentally insane shrink." She turned to face him and put on a big fake grin. "Are you going to buy me a tiara?" asked Toby sarcastically. "You wish" Replied Happy "I'm the only princess around here." Toby stepped closer to her and put his hand round her waist. "Yes you are princess, well to me at least." He placed a little kiss on her forehead and turned to leave. "Where are you going?" asked Happy curiously. "I need to go Hat shopping for my surprise party tomorrow, oh and by the way never trust Sly with secrets, got it out of him in thirty seconds." Said Toby smugly. Happy just rolled her eyes and smiled at Toby as he left her garage, the soon-to-be birthday boy.

 **Hello people, the next few chapters are most likely going to be a lot longer than the last few so I'll still try to upload everyday but I can't make any promises. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far, as always opinions and reviews are always welcome. E.**


	7. 1 day before

_1 day before_

 **HAPPY**

The team had just decided to do a normal party for Toby, he already knew it was coming so there was no point in making it a big surprise. Walter had sent him away on a silly errand while they started preparing things. Paige was organizing everything and had put everyone to their jobs and Happy had the fun job of decorating the icing on the cake and sorting the alcohol, it only made sense to give her that job since only her Toby, and Cabe would be drinking. "Okay everyone Toby should be back any minute. Is everyone ready?" asked Paige far too optimistically for Happy's liking. "I've got all the games sorted and put in order for the party." Replied Sylvester proudly. Happy knew Toby better than anyone here and knew that the whole games and pretty decorations were just a waste of time, but she had other ideas for the evening ahead. "The beer is sorted." Said Happy with a sneaky smirk on her face.

 **TOBY**

He knew when he got back from the store there would be a half-assed party waiting for him, but he didn't care if it was terrible and filled with childlike party games, he was always happy if he was surrounded by his dysfunctional family.

While pulling up to the garage he looked in his side view mirror and practiced his surprised faces, after he decided on one he grabbed his bag of unnecessary staplers that Walter had told him to get and made his way in.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBY!" shouted only Paige and Sylvester properly, Happy, Walter and Cabe kind of half said it but they all had broad smiles on their faces. "Wow this really wasn't expected, Thanks guys." Said Toby sarcastically. "It's going to be so much fun, I've planned pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs…" Sylvester excitedly droned on and Happy could tell by Toby's facial expression that he needed something to get through the next few hours. "And I have beer." Said Happy with smile on her face. "Just what I needed." Replied Toby obviously thinking the same as Happy. "I also decorated the cake." Said Happy. Toby looked over to find a beautiful white cake with the words "Happy Birthday you crazy shrink." Written on it with a little picture of two nuts and a screwdriver in an unusual and slightly perverse shape in the corner. "That is a beautiful work of art." Remarked Toby smiling at Happy "Thank you".

 **HAPPY**

After a long day of games and lots of drinking due to Happy and Toby making up a drinking with the rules being: Drink when Paige tries to organize everyone to her precisely timed schedule or When Sylvester started to get into detail about a games rules or the history of the game…. So obviously by the end of the day Happy and Toby were pretty drunk.

Paige and Ralph had left about an hour ago, Sylvester and Cabe had just gotten a cab home and Walter had went upstairs to work on his projects. Happy and Toby were in the kitchen having pointless drunk conversations. "This was fun, we should do this every week." Said Toby slurring his words slightly. "We are not going to celebrate your birthday every week, I will not have an eighty-four year old boyfriend this time next year." Replied Happy laughing. "Oh so I'm your boyfriend now?" asked Toby. "Don't push your luck Doc." Replied Happy both still giggly from their drunkenness. "I'm calling a cab." Said Toby after their laughs wore off. "Oh so you're taking me home now?" asked Happy obviously mimicking Toby. "Well if that's what you want then fine with me." Replied Toby with a smirk on his face. "Oh ha ha." Said Happy

After pulling up at Happy's place she turned to get out the cab but stopped at the last minute to look back and see Toby still obviously drunk. "I can't trust you to get home yourself like this." Said Happy even though she wasn't in a better state herself. "No, no it's fine. I'm not even that drunk." Said Toby even though he had his jacket on inside out. "No, you're coming with me." Happy got out and helped Toby out and they both struggled their way up her stairs.

 **TOBY**

"Here's blankets and a pillow for the sofa." Said Happy as she returned into the living room where Toby was standing. "Thanks, and thanks for today too. I think if you weren't there I would have been slightly depressed. We make a good team." Said toby slightly sobering up. "Yea, I like us too." Replied Happy. "Well goodnight then." "Goodnight princess." Said Toby. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek, as their faces separated their eyes locked. They were still for a moment and then Toby wrapped his arms around Happy's waist and pulled her into a strong passionate kiss. They pulled and tugged at their clothes like they couldn't get enough of each other, barely stopping for a breath. Toby pulled back once he realized where this was going, "are you sure you want to do this?" he asked not wanting to push Happy into anything. Happy didn't answer, she just looked up at him, took his hand and slowly started walking to her bedroom. Toby gave her one gentle kiss as he closed the door behind them.


	8. 5 hours before

_5 hours before_

 **TOBY**

Toby woke up with the sun shining through a crack in the curtains in a bedroom he was unfamiliar with. He was confused for a second but then a wave of happiness and relief fell over him. He remembered last night and how amazing everything about it felt, he knew he and Happy had promised each other to take it slow but it was almost as if what happened last night was long overdue and almost felt to him like coming home (no pun intended). He rolled over expecting to feel the warmth of Happy next to him, but to his surprise, no one was there. He looked at the clock which read 11:28. He knew Happy was more of a morning person than he was so he assumed she was busy elsewhere in her apartment.

He left her bedroom dressed in his clothes from last night and wandered into the kitchen to find a note saying: " _Went to the garage, c u later."_ His first reaction as a shrink was the sheer bluntness of her message, he couldn't help but feel vibes of anger or regret which worried him. He tried to shrug it off and returned to his apartment.

 _3 hours before_

 **HAPPY**

She'd concentrated on her work for almost four hours now. Happy knew why she was acting like this, she was in a panic about last night. She didn't regret anything but she felt like this was the beginning of the end. She'd let Toby in far too quickly and easily, and if she didn't watch out, the situation would end terribly for her. _I just need some space_ she thought as she pounded a hammer against the side of a metal contraption. But she knew that would be hard with Toby, his whole life was about communication and dealing with emotions, hopefully he'd realised by now that in certain situations like these, he needs to hold back and not swoop in with talk of emotions which made Happy volatile and uncomfortable. She hoped he would either not come in today at all or at least come in very late, he had to go home and get himself washed up there so she knew she had some time.

 _1 hour before_

 **TOBY**

He was just walking into the garage as he realised how late it actually was. He didn't have much work to do so being on time wasn't really that important to him, he just wanted to get one thing done today. He needed to talk to Happy.

"Nice to see you've finally decided to make an appearance." Remarked Paige as he walked in. "I always like to be fashionably late." Replied Toby with a sarcastic smirk. "Not too badly hungover?" asked Paige. "No I can handle my alcohol but there's always going to be problems after a day like yesterday." Replied Toby hoping Paige didn't know about what went on between him and Happy. He looked around the room to see if she was there but he couldn't see her straight away, then he heard a loud sound of metal crashing against a table and knew Happy was definitely there.

He rounded the corner of the garage to see Happy smashing a hammer against some metal box contraption. "You must really hate that box, or you've turned into She-Hulk this morning and that's why you had to up and leave so quickly." Said Toby. Happy unleashed another heavy hammer hit on the contraption "I had to leave because I have work to do. So if you would be kind enough to leave, it'd be appreciated." Replied Happy knowing it was rather harsh but she couldn't hold back when Toby started coming at her with emotional talk and his typical psychoanalyzing tone. "Look I don't know where this is coming from but I just need to know your view on this situation." Said Toby trying to recover the conversation. " _This_ shouldn't be a situation, we said we would take things slow and we went and screwed it all up and now we're overcomplicating things." Replied Happy speaking defensively. "Do you regret what happened last night?" Asked Toby obviously angry and confused about the situation. Happy put her hammer down, turned to Toby and said "No…. well maybe... I don't know! I mean we've only had one date. I just think we should stop and reassess the situation-""Well you're not the only one with a say in this Happy!" interrupted Toby losing his composure now. "I didn't say that! You're just taking everything far too seriously, almost like we're married or something. Just lay off for once!" exclaimed Happy almost shouting now. "You know, a part of me almost knew this was going to happen. You can never let anyone in and whenever someone does finally manage to get to you, you shut them out like a scared little girl. You're just doing this because you're scared of actual emotions Happy! And I'm just tired of having to watch out whenever I do anything, just waiting for the point when you're going to put your armour up and shut me out. And yesterday I thought we were actually getting somewhere and now it's clear it's practically impossible to get anywhere with you." Exclaimed Toby all in one go, he wasn't planning on saying all of it but in some situations it's hard to not let the whole truth out. Happy just looked at him for a second with a disgusted look. "Fine, if I'm so impossible just give up then." She grabbed the keys for her motorcycle and stormed off. "Happy… wait, just…" said Toby attempting to mend things but Happy just kept walking followed by the sound of a motorcycle starting up and screeching away.

 _2 minutes before_

 **TOBY**

Toby decided to go home after his big fight with Happy. He grabbed some stuff from his desk and continued on his projects in his living room. He was just sitting on his sofa trying to concentrate on the book in front of him but it was almost impossible. _Ugh impossible, why did I even use that word_ thought Toby to himself, he needed to occupy himself somehow. He got up to go and get some food from the kitchen when he was interrupted by a call from Paige.

"Toby?" asked Paige sounding frantic. "Uhm yes, what's going on?" asked Toby slightly worried. "Just get to the hospital as fast as you can, the-there's been an accident, I-It's Happy. Just get here now."

Toby just let his phone drop from his hand. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. He couldn't believe it.


	9. 1 hour after

_1 hour after_

 **TOBY**

He grabbed his keys as fast as he could, raced to his car and drove as fast as possible to the hospital. He never thought he would ever be in a situation like this. Every panicked thought ran through his head as he clearly drove over the speed limit. _My last conversation with her can't be a fight_ Toby thought to himself. Even though he didn't know what Happy's condition was, his brain went straight to the worst case scenario, he just tried to keep himself composed and hope for the best… no matter how impossible.

 **HAPPY**

The last thing she could remember was a car slamming into the side of her. She kept fading in and out of consciousness but she was strong enough to keep her eyes open for a few minutes to see Paige, Ralph, Walter and Sylvester by her bedside while the doctors hooked her up to an EKG. "You're gonna be okay, you had us scared for a minute." Said Paige wiping tears from her cheek. Happy knew what was wrong and that it wasn't too serious, she thought she overheard them talking about something being broken, she knew it was her leg because it hurt like hell, and she could tell she had lost a significant amount of blood. "Don't worry… I'll get better and continue to scare you on a daily basis." Replied Happy just barely being able to catch her breath enough to reply. "Okay, we need to get her to surgery now. We just need to give her some morphine and we'll take her away." Said a nurse next to Happy, just after the nurse finished her sentence Toby burst through the door.

 **TOBY**

He rushed in to find Happy barely conscious on a bed and a nurse saying she had to go to surgery. "We'll be waiting outside." Said Walter as he looked up at a wide eyed Toby.

Toby took a seat next to Happy as the Doctors started starting injecting morphine and preparing her for surgery. Toby took Happy's bruised hand and looked into her half-closed eyes. "I can't believe you're okay and conscious. When I heard you had a motorcycle accident… I-I thought I might have lost you." Said Toby trying to keep himself together. "You're not getting rid of me that easily doc." Replied Happy with her last bit of energy and a small smile on her face. "I could never get rid of you no matter how hard I tried, I would never want to get rid of you. Happy, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Toby looked down at her small, delicate hand. "I know we've only had one date… or one and a half maybe, but I already know I need you like I need oxygen, Happy I love you." Toby took his eyes off their hands and looked back into Happy's eyes to find that her eyes were now fully closed and her hand was limp, he could tell the morphine had fully kicked in. "We need to take her to surgery now." Said the nurse next to Toby. He looked up at her feeling a lump building up in his throat. "Okay… I'll be outside, can you keep me updated on what's going on?" asked Toby. "Of course." Replied the blonde woman. He left the room and found a seat next to Sylvester, he let out a sigh of relief and relished the fact that he still had Happy, his Happy.

 _ **Hello, I wasn't 100% sure how to continue this story. I didn't want to kill anyone or use a typical coma storyline, so I apologise if you find this anti-climactic but I would like to continue the story like this and if you have any opinions or reviews they're always welcome. E.**_


	10. 2 days after

_2 days after_

 **HAPPY**

She awoke to find Toby murmuring to himself about how stupid the tabloid magazine that he had in his hands was. She didn't say anything when she just woke up, the doc hadn't noticed and she found it rather amusing watching Toby making faces and playing with his hat.

"You know that consistent talking to yourself is an early sign of Schizophrenia." Said Happy getting the shrinks attention. "And riding a motorcycle through a red light is a sign of stupidity." Replied Toby. Happy never really had a lot of time to realize what she'd done, thankfully the other people in the accident weren't badly hurt and didn't press charges. "What were you thinking Happy?" asked Toby with a deadly serious face. "I wasn't, that's the problem. I just remember going fast and not even noticing the lights." Sighed Happy followed by a bit of an awkward silence.

"You owe me, you know." Said Toby cracking a bit of a smile. "What are you talking about?" asked Happy obviously confused at the change of subject. "Well for one: we never went on a proper restaurant date and two: because of you I've had to eat disgusting hospital and vending machine food for the past two days." Replied Toby. "Oh no, I feel sooo sorry for you, I mean it's not like you were almost dying and have broken your leg in three different places." Retorted Happy. "Touché" replied Toby with a smirk on his face. "So when can I finally get out of here?" asked Happy. The doctors said you are okay to leave tomorrow but you'll have to come back and get another leg operation." Replied Toby. "Ugh can't you just discharge me, you are a doctor after all!" exclaimed Happy. "Not that kind of doctor princess." Laughed Toby. The nurse came in to take some tests of Happy's vitals just as he finished.

 **TOBY**

"I'm going to get some coffee." He said as he got up off his chair and made his way to the cafeteria. He hated seeing Happy hurt, he was so used to the 'I don't need any help' side of Happy, he knew she didn't like it either but there was nothing the two of them could do about it.

He'd stayed at the hospital for two days now and he got the feeling that Cabe wasn't too happy about him not turning up to work at all, they all knew Happy was perfectly fine now but Toby had this protective feeling over Happy that no one else could understand.

He got his coffee after having to wait in a big long queue at the cafeteria and made his way back to Happy's room to find her curled up and fast asleep. He took a step closer to Happy, kissed her on the forehead, took his place back in the chair next to her and said "Goodnight Princess." Before drifting off to sleep himself.

 _ **Hello people, I'm going on a school trip this week which means I won't be able to post anything until next Sunday. I hope to write 2-3 more instalments of this story and then move on. Opinions and reviews are always welcome. E.**_


	11. 7 days after

_7 days after_

 **HAPPY**

The only downside of getting out of the hospital was she now had to do all her work in a wheelchair because of her leg, the doctor said that after a while and one more operation she could get crutches but that didn't sound to appealing to Happy either.

She was happy to be back to her dysfunctional family though. Happy looked around the room at all of her friends, Sly playing a memory game with Ralph and Walter, Paige sorting Ralphs lunch for school and when she looked over to Toby's desk she found him staring right back at her with one of his signature smirks.

 **TOBY**

He made his way over to Happy and started to push her wheelchair away from the rest of the Scorpion crew. "What do you think you're doing?" asked Happy with one eyebrow raised. "I think it's quite amusing that I can push you around places and you can do nothing about it." Said Toby through a mischievous grin. "You know I still have another totally functioning leg that can kick you just as hard as the other one." Replied Happy. "Thanks for reminding me, but I also wanted to talk to you somewhere a bit quieter." Explained Toby as they made their way to her garage.

"So what's up Doc?" said Happy doing a terrible Bugs Bunny impression. Toby couldn't help but laugh. He composed himself and continued "I just wanted to know if after all that happened you're still 100% sure that you still want to give us a try. I would understand if you wanted a break for a while or-" "I swear for a guy that's got a PhD from Harvard you really can be stupid sometimes." Interrupted Happy. "Am I missing something?" asked Toby a little confused. "Do you really think after everything that's happened I'm just going to give up, throw in the towel just cause of one little car accident?" Said Happy sarcastically. "You're being stupid, so make yourself useful go back to your desk and search for wheelchair friendly date destinations." Continued Happy. Toby leaned down to Happy's eye level, kiss her with no hesitation and as he took his lips off hers, he smiled and said "There's the Happy I know and love."


	12. 1 month after

_1 month after_

 **HAPPY**

Just over a month had passed since Happy's accident. She'd had all the required surgeries and was slowly mending her leg, which meant the use of crutches was involved and Happy hated every minute of it. She always liked her independent lifestyle and the fact that she now needed help with such simple tasks as getting tools from a high shelves angered her. Toby didn't make matters any better with his ongoing joke of taking one of Happy's crutches and challenging her to a crutch sword fight daily, she'd glare at him while he stood en garde humming the pirates of the Caribbean theme song.

They were in big black cars on their way to Homeland headquarters for a case. Happy was sat next to Toby in the backseat, looking out the window she thought of their relationship over the past few weeks. They still weren't totally exclusive, Toby promised he'd take it slow but Happy couldn't shake the feeling that Toby had put this massive pressure on her and the relationship. She also knew that Toby had picked up on her reservations, he'd continuously treat her like one of his patients which was just confusing and annoying her even more.

 **TOBY**

They'd just arrived at Homeland headquarters after a relatively quiet car journey. They'd already been informed on the case and were on their way to meet the agents they'd be working with.

"This is Agent Fray and Agent Wayland." Said Cabe as a woman with flowing red hair and a tall man with swept back blonde hair entered. The team greeted them with the typical handshakes and hello's. "Oh, what happened to your leg?" enquired Agent Fray as she got to Happy. "Motorcycle accident" replied Happy. Toby could tell Happy was bored of the stares and questions, he hoped for the agents sake that she didn't continue with the questions or else Happy might lose her temper. "We can set you up with our tech support in his office." Said Agent Wayland and almost as if planned a young, handsome man with soft brown hair and hazel eyes turned the corner and greeted them with a welcoming smile.

"Agent Lewis, this is Happy she'll be staying here with you while we're out in the field." Said Agent Fray gesturing to Happy. "Wait, a day without you two _and_ the company of a pretty genius, today just keeps getting better." Replied Agent Lewis laughingly. Toby felt a strong urge to punch something but calmed as he saw Happy's unimpressed expression. He took a step closer to Happy while keeping constant eye contact with Agent Lewis.

 **HAPPY**

She felt Toby tight against her back and knew he didn't like the idea of her spending the day with Agent Lewis.

"We should really get going." Said Cabe leading Walter and Sylvester out the room. Happy was just about to head the opposite way toward the IT office before feeling someone tug at her arm.

 **TOBY**

"Hey watch out! Crippled mechanic here." Exclaimed Happy as she turned to face Toby. "Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you before I left…" said Toby pulling Happy to the side. "I don't trust this Agent Lewis guy, he seems like the kind of nerd who gets tan lines by turning up the brightness on his computer." Said Toby mockingly. He felt a heavy weight of disappointment when he didn't see a smile on Happy's face at his little joke. "God can you just leave it, I don't even know the guy and you're already sizing him up as a threat!" Replied Happy angrily. "No, I-I didn't mean it like that-" "Look I'm not talking about this right now, we're on a case right now so turn around and go somewhere you're actually needed." Interrupted Happy.

The last words hit Toby like a punch in the gut. He knew she didn't really mean it and that it was Happy's way of keeping distance between her and everyone else with a mixture of pent up anger over the past month, but he couldn't help feeling downhearted as he left to catch up with the rest of the team.


	13. 1 month after II

_1 month after II_

 **HAPPY**

Happy had had her fair share of failed flirtation attempts (the most of course, coming from Toby) but no one had tried and failed as much as Agent Lewis. She assumed he just hadn't had that much contact or practise with the opposite sex, mainly based on the fact that he tried to use the typical "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" line, to which Happy swiftly replied "No but I think I chipped a nail when I ascended from _hell_." After said encounter there wasn't many more attempts but Happy could tell by the way he always awkwardly smiled at her that he was still trying.

'Wow, I actually miss Toby's terrible flirtation attempts' thought Happy to herself as she noticed Agent Lewis staring at her from the side. The team were all out on a case and were most likely not going to be back for at least another hour. She couldn't help them that much either because their case didn't exactly involve much mechanical know-how, so Happy just sat at the table working on an online plan for her next contraption waiting for some form of contact from the only person she wanted to talk to right now, but she had the suspicious feeling that he might not want to talk to her.

 **TOBY**

Toby was struggling to concentrate today which was affecting the team slightly. He was in a security guards office looking through security footage trying to find the criminal they were tracking down, but he kept loosing focus anytime a pretty, petite woman with long black hair came onto the screen. It kept dragging his mind back to Happy and their fight this morning.

All he wanted to do was talk to her but he had to help the team and work here while Happy was sitting in an office with that annoyingly optimistic Agent Lewis.

He tried to focus himself again so they could get the case finished as fast as possible so that he could get back to Homeland headquarters and sort the situation out.

 **HAPPY**

"The teams on their way back now." Said Agent Lewis as he got off the phone with his co-workers. Happy and Agent Lewis had started to talk once she got finished with her online plan. 'He isn't actually too bad when he isn't trying to act cool or flirtatious' thought Happy to herself. Although their conversations had been strictly platonic and Happy made sure not to get too friendly, she could tell that anytime he made her laugh his eyes lit up and that worried Happy slightly.

They walked back to the office were they left the team in the first place and were expecting them there in a matter of minutes.

"Well I had fun today, I hope we could maybe work together again in the future." Said Agent Lewis nervously.

"Yea, it was okay." Replied Happy nonchalantly. She turned to face him expecting to exchange a handshake as she heard the door open and the team entering. But Happy wasn't exactly prepared for what happened next. She looked up to see Agent Lewis much closer to her than he had been before and slowly edging in closer while his eyes concentrated on her lips. She was just about to instinctively punch him when all of a sudden *BAM*

 **TOBY**

Toby pulled himself back cupping his sore fist. If the team had got into trouble before it was nothing in comparison to their situation now, no one had ever punched a member of homeland security.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Agent Lewis holding his hands up to his now bleeding nose.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Happy quite shocked at the whole situation.

"I'm defending you what does it look like?!" replied Toby frustratedly.

Cabe and Paige quickly hurried the team out before they could get into any more trouble than they already were. They all returned to the cars that had taken them there in the first place and silently taken the same seats.

Toby never said anything but Happy could almost hear his brain working and churning next to her.

She turned and brought her head close to Toby's so only he could hear her.

"Thank you." She said as she intertwined her fingers with his and held his slightly bruising hand. Toby never said anything but Happy could see the smile on his face at the corner of her eye.


	14. 2 months after

_2 months after_

 **HAPPY**

Happy woke unusually later than normal. Turning her head on her pillow to face the clock on her bedside table which read 11:28 she thought about how she was glad that she didn't wake up at the usual time of 7 am because the team didn't have any cases today and everyone was really just pottering about working on their own projects.

She got up, showered, got dressed then made her way to the garage. She was greeted with the normal scene… Sly playing with his super fun guy action figures, Paige reading through a book about the history of eastern Europe and Walter hacking several firewalls in order to gain access to a certain website. But oddly enough Toby wasn't sitting at his desk. Happy just shrugged this off and assumed he was just coming in late as usual.

She made her way to the back of the garage to continue working on her motorbike but was surprised to hear Toby's voice apparently deep in conversation with someone on the phone. She paused and stopped behind a wall so Toby couldn't see her.

"Okay, okay relax. You know I'm always here for you Karen." said Toby into the phone.

Happy had only heard the name Karen been mentioned a few times in the past but knew exactly who it was Toby was talking to. His ex-fiancée.

"Look I know exactly what you need. I'll come over again tonight but I can't stay as long as last might, I need to catch up on some sleep. Okay. Bye." Continued Toby exhaustively.

Happy felt her heart sink. She was confused, she didn't know whether to punch Toby till he shrivelled to a pulp or to cry at the feeling of stupidity and disappointment. How could she be so stupid? How could she let herself believe she could have one true, meaningful, successful relationship without it getting thrown back in her face? Everyone was the same…. They stay until they get bored then they leave.

 **TOBY**

He'd just gotten off the phone when he turned the corner to find Happy standing there, totally still with wide eyes looking up at him.

"You okay Princess?" asked Toby slightly confused as to why she looked so shocked.

Happy didn't reply she just shook her head quickly and shoved past him to get to her motorbike. This struck Toby as quite odd but he'd learned after much trial and error that whenever Happy is mad it's best to give her space then once she's calmed, go and talk to her. So he continued on with his work with plans to talk to Happy later.

 **HAPPY**

She couldn't believe he'd just calmly walked by her as if she hadn't heard the whole conversation then have the nerve to ask her why she reacted so strangely. She wasn't confused anymore, Happy knew now the only thing she wanted to do was inflict pain on _something_. Sadly her victim ended up being a long piece of aluminium casing, which made a terrible noise but Happy honestly could not physically give less of a shit. She needed to get her anger out and that was working.

 **TOBY**

After a few hours and a few odd and loud bangs coming from Happy's work station, Toby decided to go and talk to her about this morning and ask her if she wanted to go get dinner with him.

"Hello my angry and sometimes even scary angel, fancy getting some dinner?" asked Toby in his typically charismatic tone.

Happy just glared at him then with a very angry tone almost under her breath replied "I thought you already had some very _pressing_ things to do this evening…."

"What are you on about? The only pressing thing concerning me is pressing these knots out of you with a massage." Said Toby while slightly rubbing her shoulders. Happy jerked him off and gave him a disgusted look. He knew something was seriously going on with Happy but he genuinely had no idea what she was talking about.

"Are you seriously playing dumb right now?! I heard you talking to Karen earlier, I know you're going to see her later and I know you saw her last night. Seriously at least have the decency to tell me if you want to leave instead of just returning to your ex right under my nose. I honestly don't know why I expected anything different, just leave now then!" exclaimed Happy in one breath.

Toby couldn't believe what he was hearing. It took him a few seconds to fully comprehend the full situation. He walked closer to Happy so he was totally face to face with her, grabbed her hand and held it tight before she tried to pull it away, let out a little laugh and said "I'm not getting back together with Karen…. Yes I went to her house last night and yes I'm going again this evening but not as Toby, as Dr. Toby Curtis." He paused, slightly amused at Happy's confused face then continued "She called me yesterday totally terrified because she'd experienced sleep paralysis, she woke up and couldn't move at all and kept having nightmares. So I went over to help her and access her situation _as a doctor_ and I'm bringing her some pills this evening." He looked into Happy's eyes and saw the relief pass through them, he felt the sides of his mouth start to turn into a smile.

"I told you from the beginning Happy, I'm not leaving, whether you like it or not I'm here for the long run." He bent down and kissed her forehead.

Happy let out a sigh of relief, gave Toby's hand a little squeeze and said "oh sometimes I could punch you." Toby saw the smile on her face and replied "I know your punches are filled with love Happy."


	15. 3 months after

_3 months after_

 **TOBY**

He'd never been so nervous, even though he knew his fear and paranoia were totally irrational he couldn't help but worry. He knew he would have to face it someday but he had hoped that day would've been far in the future.

Today was the day Toby's mother came to visit.

He had only told Paige so far as she was the only one who would have a half normal response. He knew Walter would go on a rant about how strong emotional bonds only hinder us, Sly would probably start polishing his whole Super Fun Guy collection to show her and Happy, well Happy would most likely freak out and assume it was a sneaky way for him to take their relationship to the next level. Which it wasn't, he and Happy had been getting on great the past few weeks, her walls were slowly but surely coming down and she was finally feeling totally comfortable and open with him. And that's exactly why he was so nervous for them to meet.

 **HAPPY**

Toby was a bit jumpy this morning Happy thought. He was normally all cuddly and sleepy first thing in the morning but today he was up before her (which never happened….ever.) and was murmuring to himself in the kitchen.

"BOO" Happy shouted as she jumped up on Toby from behind.

"JESus christ Happy" replied Toby startled. Now she knew his head was in the clouds, he would normally just laugh at her failed attempts to scare him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Happy hoping for some answers.

"Nothing much, just wondering whether to put bacon or bacon AND cheese on my omelette" lied Toby.

"Oh…okay… you'll never guess what my cousin messaged me today." Happy paused waiting for Toby to reply or show some interest but she was met with a simple hummed "hmm?"

"Uhh she's engaged. She's totally stupid, she's known the guy for 6 months and she's already planning the wedding. Next thing you know we'll be getting Christmas cards with her and all the in-laws wearing horrendous Christmas jumpers pfff" laughed Happy

She expected Toby to laugh or at least lecture about the fact that emotion connections aren't a bad thing, but he just looked even more intense and gave a half assed smile and swiftly walked away. What was happening?

 **TOBY**

Well his last conversation with Happy didn't exactly boost his confidence with the whole mom visiting business. He just have to surprise her and hope for the best, now all he had to worry about was whether his mother was on her meds or not. She was an amazing woman but when she was off her meds her bipolar personality would change her completely. At least Paige could assist him with any damage control that would most likely be needed.

At around 2 o'clock he got a call from his mom to let him know she had landed at the airport which meant it was time for him to make up an excuse to leave.

"Well guys I'm just about done with this paperwork so I think I'll reward myself by heading down to the races… you know just getting my bet on." Toby could tell his lying skills were as bad as his boxing skills but no one really seemed to care.

 **HAPPY**

Happy was deeply concentrated on her new alloy casing for Walters new rocket project when she started hearing chattering coming from the entrance of the garage. She let her curiosity get the better of her and walked over to see what was going on. She turned the corner with oil smeared over her face and clothes to see quite a surprising sight.

Toby was introducing his mother to Sly.

Why hadn't he mentioned this to her? Why was she only now finding out that the other most important woman in Toby's life was visiting? And lastly why the hell hadn't she cleaned her face before coming over?

 **TOBY**

Everything was going fine, everyone was totally friendly and his mother had taken her medication and was her normally charming self. He was so pleased, until he noticed Happy at the corner of the room looking like someone had just smack her in the face with a baseball bat, well come to think of it an oil-covered baseball bat. Now he was extremely nervous. He led his mom over to the other end of the room with a wide nervous smile on his face.

"Happy, meet Mama Curtis…."


	16. Season 2: 6 Months before

_Hello, sorry I went Sherlock on you and left you waiting for 2 years. I hope I'll be able to start doing these (somewhat) regularly again. A little **update** on the story: I like keeping the characters close to their story line in the actual series, so in this (let's call it season 2 of the Countdown) they are engaged and a new countdown has started, the story is continuing from where it left off though. This is only a short story but I have plans for my next few, please be patient with me as I still have exams, school and (a sad excuse for a) social life. However I'll try my best to keep you updated. E._

6 Months Before

 **HAPPY**

Happy's mind went blank.

"uuhm … I-I'm Happy, very happy to meet you Mrs. Curtis" she stuttered.

"Well I'm happy too but what's your name dear?" replied Mrs. Curtis with a broad smile. Happy and Toby exchanged awkward confused looks.

"Sorry, I was trying to make a joke, that obviously backfired. Please call me Marie and I know your Happy, Toby talks about you constantly." She looked at Happy with a mixture of pride and interest. Happy let out a light sigh and forced a big smile. Toby looked back and forth from his mother to his fiancée.

"Here they are my two favourite girls in the same room. So what are we doing today? Food? Film? Wedding dress shopping?" Said Toby a little too enthusiastically.

"Well, _Happy and I,_ will be having some bonding time without you breathing down our throats. A lady's day out sounds good to me, what do you think Happy?" asked Marie.

 _That sounds like my version of hell_ Happy thought. "That sounds great, yea fun." Said Happy forcing enthusiasm.

"Fantastic! I just need to go to the ladies room first and we'll be on our way." Marie said as she made her way through the room.

"What the hell?! Did you not think to tell me your _mother_ was coming, isn't that important information to share with your fiancée?" asked Happy obviously flustered at the situation. Toby slouched down slightly to be at eye level with Happy and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I didn't tell you for this exact reason. You would freak out and run away or worse: start researching "How to get your in-laws to like you" the guide for dummies edition." Toby joked. Happy kept a straight face.

"Look you'll be fine, she's on her medication and you know you have a least one thing in common." Said Toby.

"What would that be?" asked Happy

"Eh you both love the funniest, most handsome world-class behaviorist out there." Replied Toby sarcastically. This made Happy smirk.

"Oh really, he sounds like a nice guy. Could you introduce me to him some day?" Retorted Happy with equal sarcasm. Toby feigned a hurt expression then kissed Happy on the forehead. Marie came out the bathroom and called on Happy to leave for their ladies day.

"Well wish me luck." Happy said.

"Good luck my little oily princess." Happy had forgotten she still had oil on her face. She awkwardly swiped it away as she went to the door with Marie.


End file.
